Cuba: She Used to Sell Tourist Packages, Now She Sells IceHotels deserted and all operations suspended since February 2026, workers without salaries, and entire families in Caibarién and nearby municipalities forced to reinvent themselves to survive: that is the situation nearly seven months after most of the facilities in the tourist hub of Villa Clara, Cuba’s northern cays were shut down.
Yaquelin Garcia Pleads for Justice from a Cuban PrisonJorge Luis Arias Garcia cannot remember a moment in his life that was not marked by repression by the Cuban State. Throughout his childhood, as he learned words, tastes, and emotions, he also became familiar with some of the darkest consequences the regime reserves for dissidents: arbitrary arrests, harassment, and assaults against his mother, activist Yaquelin Garcia Jaen.
Luis Manuel Otero Remains in Cuban State Security’s HandsToday, July 9, 2026, marked the completion of the full prison sentence of Cuban artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, leader of the San Isidro Movement, who was arrested in 2021 and unjustly tried. However, Luis Manuel has now been forcibly disappeared for 48 hours.
Cuba Restricts Access to Subsidized Food RationsThe ration book that Cuban families receive for the State-controlled distribution of basic subsidized goods will, in the immediate future, be available only to retirees, people with chronic illnesses, and those considered especially “vulnerable” by the authorities, according to announcements made by the government on June 17 and 18, 2026.
Cuban Regime Arrests another YouTuber“If you are watching this video, it means that, unfortunately, I have been imprisoned, separated from my home and from my daughter…,” said Cuban citizen Eduardo Ceballos Perez, known as “Eddy,” in a short video recorded in April 2026.
Cuba: Only Two Political Prisoners Among the 2,010 PardonedEl Toque verified that among the 2,010 people pardoned by the Cuban regime, announced in April 2026, only two are political prisoners. The Government published the Presidential Decree containing the list of beneficiaries in the Official Gazette nearly two months after the measure was announced.
How the Cuban State Hacks Accounts of Targeted ActivistsA coordinated offensive against Cuban activists has compromised WhatsApp, Telegram, and Gmail accounts in recent weeks. The victims directly point to State Security as responsible.
New Immigration Category for Investing in Cuba Takes EffectOn May 5, 2026, the Cuban regime finally published in the Official Gazette a package of regulations formalizing the immigration status of “Investors and Businesspersons” for Cuban citizens residing abroad “who apply for it and participate in the country’s economic model.” The three legal measures took effect immediately upon publication.
Cuban Street Vendor and His Wife Arrested for ProtestingAlexeis Serrano Águila raised his hands making the sign for “freedom” in a narrow street in Palma Soriano, a municipality in Santiago de Cuba. The intense sun soaked his clothes on April 12, 2026. He had gone out with a wheelbarrow to sell sweet potatoes in order to support his sick mother and wife.
Will New Relaxed Farm Rules Mean More Food in Cuba?The Cuban countryside is facing an unprecedented production crisis, with drastic harvest and animal yield reduction in nearly every sector. In that context, the government has once again modified the agricultural legal framework. The changes have to do with the “wholesale and retail commercialization of agricultural and forestry products” and “production contracting” to replace the regulatory system in force since 2021.
The Family Punishment for Speaking Freely in CubaEmma hasn’t seen her father since the morning of February 6, 2026, when he was taken away in handcuffs in a police car for expressing his opinions on social media, as has happened to many other parents in Cuba—although the three-year-old girl does not know that.
Canada Examines the Humanitarian Crisis in CubaThe Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development of Canada’s House of Commons convened a special session on February 26, 2026, to address the humanitarian crisis in Cuba. Members of Cuban civil society were invited to provide testimony before the Canadian Parliament — a key country for the island due to its role in tourism, mining investment, and access to foreign currency.
Cuba: From Extreme Paternalism to Everybody for ThemselvesIn the face of these realities, authorities respond with “piecemeal measures that cannot resolve the crisis of social protection in Cuba,” notes sociologist Elaine Acosta, meaning that “we are facing a crisis of social assistance and of the State’s commitment to guaranteeing people’s rights.”
The Cuban Professor Sentenced to 10-Years for GraffitiAriel Manuel Martin was held “incommunicado for five or six months” after his detention in February 2025, his cousin told El Toque.
Energy Crisis Threatens What Remains of Tourism in CubaThe government finds it increasingly difficult to maintain the bubble in which it has tried to isolate tourism from the rest of the country.
